


The High Castle

by Zesse



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Anal Sex, Drama, Exhibitionism, Government Experimentation, HOMOSEXUAL RELATIONSHIPS, Historical Accuracy, Historical References, Implied Relationships, Inspired by Real Events, Kinky sex, M/M, Political Alliances, Romance, Rough Sex, Sci-Fi Elements, Set in Russia, Slow Burn, Unspecified time in the future, Vikturi, Violence, political sabotage, viktuuri
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-22
Updated: 2017-03-04
Packaged: 2018-09-26 05:10:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,757
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9864281
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zesse/pseuds/Zesse
Summary: “The man in the high castle...this wall will not protect you forever. You have my word.”Or: In which Viktor Nikiforov, Russia's most highly decorated military commander, dreams of a liberated Russian federation and drags Japanese ambassador Yuri Katsuki on the wildest, most perilous adventure of his lifetime filled with political sabotage, government conspiracies, murder, and secrets that should have remained buried.





	1. The Man in the High Castle

_Overlooking the shimmering Moskva River stood the quintessential symbol of power of Moscow in all its ornate grandeur: The Grand Kremlin Palace. A stately home to the president of Russia and his family, the palace was a unique brand of Russian and Byzantine architecture with its white-stone pediments, double-arched window openings, and elegantly crafted arched recesses. Above the green cupola, red, white and blue fluttered steadily in the cold wind._

_The Grand Kremlin Palace was, arguably, the cherished gem of Moscow if not the entirety of Russia. Children regarded the palace, safely guarded by the red Moscow Kremlin Wall, with naive, untainted eyes. Politicians dreamed to reside in the fortified Moscow Kremlin to further their ambitions. The average citizen loathed everything the palace stood for, including the figure who stood at the shore of the Moskva River, impervious to the chill of the air coming off the water. Through long eyelashes, the young man peered up at the unbearably long row of second story windows of what he perceived to be the “high castle.” The shadow of a figure moved in one of the windows, illuminated by a faint yellow light, and the man cocked his head with cerulean eyes narrowed in what could only be described as pure resentment._

_“The man in the high castle...this wall will not protect you forever. You have my word.”_

_Then, the young man retreated from the Moscow Kremlin, following the familiar path along the water. Each step resonated throughout the otherwise quiet night and unbeknownst to the man in the high castle, one young man’s bitter heart only grew more chilled in the winter night._

_The first white flakes of snow fell in eerie tranquility._


	2. The NSS

Yuri Katsuki had a vague idea of what he’d gotten himself into when he accepted the Prime Minister of Japan’s request to serve as an ambassador for Japan. Handpicked by the most powerful executive official in Japan, Yuri was forced to acknowledge his qualifications and capabilities if even if he tended to downplay them in the public eye. He’d grown up rather modestly in Hatsetsu with his parents and sister, attended his last years of high school being at the top of his graduating class, and earned himself a degree in both communications and political science while studying abroad in the United States over the course of his undergraduate career. Then, when he returned to Japan, he immediately jumped at the opportunity to attend the University of Tokyo and ended up at the Graduate School of Public Policy where he gained extensive knowledge on law, politics, and international relationships in preparation for his dream job: working for the government. 

Despite of all this, Yuri found himself wondering how a job could be so exhaustive, even if it was a government job. He had officially started his work as a newly appointed ambassador just a little over two months ago, and already he was being overwhelmed with phone calls, emails, small conferences, and uncomfortably intimate face-to-face meetings over Japan’s role in the modern world and how its social and economic policy would play into the major decisions of the future. Yuri felt like the weight of Japan--his world--was crushing him already. 

Now, sitting in a cramped conference hall in the consulate building in downtown Tokyo, Yuri felt himself becoming a bit flustered, felt a bit out of place amongst some of the world’s most influential and powerful leaders. The Nuclear Security Summit, originally a biennial meeting started by one of the presidents of the United States, had made its way to various cities around the world until it was Japan’s turn to host one of the most important meetings in modern society. For the modern world, nuclear security had quickly become one of the largest growing concerns to date, especially with recent hostile actions from other countries and terrorist organizations around the world. The threat of nuclear warfare had most national leaders on edge and thus, the Nuclear Security Summit became one of the most important mediums for countries to work together. 

Yuri shifted in his seat, felt a small trickle of sweat making its way down his temple, and leaned forward to prop his elbow up on the table as he listened to the ambassador of the United States, present in the president’s absence, address the conference. Yuri looked him over, taking in his light gold complexion, soft brown hair, and shaped eyebrows that moved when emphasizing a particular word or concept. 

“As you are all quite aware of the reason we are here today, I’m going to try and keep this introduction as short as I possibly can.” Leo De La Iglesia spoke evenly, making eye-contact with those most directly in front of him. “Nuclear weapons and warfare are the most critical issues that we, as a modern society, face. Countries who continue to maintain their stance that having highly capable nuclear weapons program are a danger threat to us all and it is our duty to keep those who would threaten us in check. Nuclear weapons in terrorism are something we thought that we’d never see, but it’s an issue that creeps ever closer to becoming a vivid reality. Thus, it is also our duty to keep those organizations in check by stopping them wherever they might try to use those weapons against us.” 

There was a unanimous air of agreement coupled with some affirmative nods and grunts of approval. Yuri gave a small nod and angled his body slightly to face Iglesia, knowing that his turn to speak would soon arrive. If he read his personal copy of the itinerary correctly, anyway. 

“In accordance with our values, many of the countries represented here today worked tirelessly on a proposal that would aide in the determent of using nuclear weapons in both military programs with the intent to use them in war and in terrorist organizations. The President of the United States, the Prime Ministers of both Japan and Canada, and several leaders in the Middle East drafted a proposal called the ‘Nuclear Weapons and Materials Transport Manifesto.’” The American ambassador cleared his throat and eyed Yuri tentatively. “The Prime Minister of Japan was very instrumental in making this declaration, so I would like to start with a statement from Japan.” 

All eyes were on him now. Yuri swallowed and his mouth felt unbearably dry, as if he couldn’t bring himself to speak as it was. 

“Yes, um… I am Yuri Katsuki and I am serving as the Prime Minister’s substitute for this summit given a scheduling conflict. Let me start off by saying that Japan is most grateful to have been invited to this summit, as such important issues are the responsibility of us all to address, and Japan will always be in support of measures that ensure the safety of the citizens of the world.” 

So far, Yuri felt like he was doing a decent job. It appeared that he had the attention and interest of all the representatives in the conference hall, so he continued on with his planned statement. 

“Japan found that securing support for our global initiative was one of the most crucial steps in the coalition’s success. International agencies and programs have always played vital roles in similar endeavors. Together with our partners, we have secured the support of the International Atomic Energy Agency, INTERPOL, and the United Nations. These are only a few of the organizations we have maintained contact with, and they have pledged their support for higher levels of involvement for our cause. We are very grateful for their pledged contributions. The International Atomic Energy Agency has been very accommodating and they will continue to aide countries in implementing security measures regarding nuclear and radioactive materials.” 

One quick breath; barely any time to breathe. 

“This means that the IAEA will provide countries who choose to utilize their help with additional guidelines for transporting dangerous nuclear and questionable materials at their borders. This will come under supervision from the International Physical Protection Advisory Service, which is a program run by the IAEA. Their team will conduct routine reviews and inspections of storage facilities as well as provide direction for the safe disposal and remediation of these nuclear and radioactive materials.” 

The Japanese man subconsciously chewed on his lower lip when he was done. His mind went blank towards the ending of his statement and he knew that he had forgotten to say something important, but there was no use in attempting to add new information as an afterthought. Yuri could only hope that he had represented Japan to the best of his ability and from the expressions that he was able to discretely observe, it seemed that his performance was just impressive enough to hold the attention of his audience. 

“Mm, yes.” Iglesia nodded and gave a small smile, continuing to run with the conversation. “And the United States is thankful for your hard work in securing that much needed support. In accordance with this, the United States has also worked tirelessly to gather support for the proposed Amendment to legally bind countries to their commitments of protecting nuclear facilities and storage sites. This Amendment will also hold countries legally accountable for the safe transport of nuclear and radioactive materials, something I’m sure that the Prime Minister of Japan will continue to work on with the IAEA.” 

Feeling obligated to acknowledge the other ambassador’s statement, Yuri merely gave another small nod. The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency was a Japanese national, so of course it was expected that Japan maintained strong relations with the agency. It would likely be another meeting in Yuri’s already busy work schedule or, at the very least, another web conference. 

Iglesia continued. “And now, a statement from the Prime Minister of Canada who has also played a vital role in the drafting of the proposal and the Amendment scheduled for a vote later on today.” 

The Prime Minister of Canada was a fairly young man with a noticeable aura of enthusiasm and surety. He smiled cheerily at his peers and immediately launched into a passionate speech about the Amendment and the importance of it being implemented. Yuri noticed that the man had a particularly strong accent from speaking French and he wondered how someone could sound attractive on the grounds of his voice being so soothing to listen to. He pressed his lips together and quickly shuffled through the small stack of papers sitting in front of him to find the informative essay on the Amendment that had been prepared for all attendees.

“We have garnered support for ourselves. We have the support of over one hundred countries around the world but it isn’t enough. Accountability cannot be replaced by merely sending someone here to agree with what this summit says only to return home and contribute nothing. This Amendment is so very important; the legally binding nature of it ensures that we will achieve of our goal of a secure nuclear future. For those who were invited but did not come… it is a shame. A shame that will not see us succeed. They want us to fail because they seek power beyond their own means and they will do anything to grasp onto that power and not let go. By approving this Amendment today, we will show those who will not stand with us that we are strong, that we are united, and that we _will_ see a secure future for the sake of ourselves and our great grandchildren. Canada stands behind the Nuclear Security Summit and its goals and we always will.” 

Applause. The Prime Minister of Canada charmed his audience and he was receiving the political equivalent of a standing ovation in an uncomfortably cramped conference hall. Yuri fidgeted in his seat and lowered his gaze, feeling less than spectacular about his earlier remarks on the behalf of Japan. He could only aspire to be such a passionate speaker with the power to enthrall his listeners. To distract himself, Yuri quickly skimmed over the essay again and weighed the benefits of such an amendment in his mind as the American ambassador prepared to speak again. 

“It is crucial that we approve this Amendment today and that countries adopt it. Our strength comes from our ability to work together as one unit and we must all be accountable. We cannot afford to slip up, ease our efforts, or become too lax in our policy. I want to stress that this Amendment will ensure that our efforts are not in vain because when we hold ourselves accountable, our success is more likely.” 

Iglesia leaned back slightly to take in atmosphere of the summit so far. He received another round of nods and clasped his hands together on the table. 

“Shortly, we will hold a vote to ratify this Amendment. I hope that we are able to be successful in this endeavor today.” 

And, true to his word, after a few more additional comments from the representatives of other countries primarily located in the Middle East followed by a short break, Iglesia called for an official vote to ratify the legally binding Amendment. The efforts of The Nuclear Security Summit’s most influential countries were not in vain: The Amendment passed without a single vote against it and its ratification proved to be a truly victorious event for the coalition. Afterwards, a group photo of the representatives was taken outside of the consulate building and Yuri was thankful for the fresh air and much-needed break. 

“How overwhelming…” Yuri sighed and leaned back against the cool concrete of the structure, eyes closed. 

“Hey! Mr. Katsuki, isn’t it?” 

Yuri’s eyes immediately snapped open and felt so silly, leaning there where anyone could see him. He saw the figure of the Prime Minister of Canada standing in front of him and the feeling of intimidation set in quickly. He bowed in apology and felt his face warming slightly with embarrassment.

“Yes! I’m sorry for spacing out. Did you need me?” As Yuri stood up straight, the Prime Minister merely shook his head and smiled cheerily. 

“Not necessarily. I just heard that this summit was one of your first meetings as a new ambassador and I wanted to congratulate you. You did very well, Mr. Katsuki.” 

The Japanese man’s face slowly heated up as blood rushed to his cheeks at the praise. It was something he was used to, probably more than he would ever admit. His fingers curled with anxiety into his palms and his nails dug into his skin like needles. 

“Thank you… I don’t think I performed nearly as well as you, sir. Your speech was so enthusiastic and passionate; I wish I could speak so eloquently but I find myself stumbling over words or losing track of what I’m saying. Embarrassing, isn’t it?” 

Yuri lowered his gaze from the handsome man’s face and stared at the ground, finding interest in a small worm inching its way along through tall blades of grass. He couldn’t remember the last time he found such a small creature so interesting. The Prime Minister shook his head and his expression warmed up considerably. 

“I don’t think so. Not at all. I’ve heard about your impressive resume, Mr. Katsuki. Obviously, you are no stranger to public speaking but I will say that speaking in front of your peers can always be a nerve-wracking experience. It’s not embarrassing at all, so don’t think of it that way. You have to stay positive and just learn as you go sometimes.” 

Yuri nodded, lips pressed together tightly. Of course, the Prime Minister of Canada knew about his extensive resume and accomplishments. He could only assume that after the first meeting of the summit, leaders and ambassadors alike were talking about him. It was one of the reasons why Yuri opted to hide outside for a bit to calm himself. Really, he was just another ambassador. He wasn’t anything special in this new world he’d willingly thrown himself into. 

“Thank you. I appreciate your kind words.” Yuri forced himself to look back up at the man and gave a small smile. 

“Well, I’ll see you at the other meetings, so I’ll bid you goodbye for now. See you later, Mr. Katsuki.” 

And with that, the charismatic leader of Canada walked back into the consulate building, leaving Yuri to his thoughts once more. Eventually, however, he was forced to go back inside to finish up the remainder of the day’s events with several more impassioned speeches and deep discussion over the summit’s new and existing objectives regarding tougher guidelines on the transport of nuclear materials and weapons. Yuri was attentive, absorbing all of the new information and filing papers away in his briefcase to take back to his office for further review. He even offered his input on several topics, mostly coinciding with Japan’s pledge to limit the manufacturing of nuclear weapons in accordance with new international guidelines on military weaponry. It was incredibly nerve-wracking, having the eyes of the world’s leaders on him but somehow, he managed to hold himself together under the strenuous pressure and performed, in his eyes, at least somewhat decently—enough to be respected as a new and inexperienced ambassador.

By the time the exhausted Japanese man made it back home after a long and strenuous weekend of meetings and talks of nuclear warfare and weapons and materials, it was past eleven ‘o'clock on a cool Sunday night and Yuri wanted nothing more than to flop down on his bed and pass out, but obligation kept him from his desire. 

“Hell. What are all these emails? I can’t drink my tea to this…” Yuri sighed and leaned back in his desk chair with his eyes closed to offset the brightness of his laptop screen. Under his desk, a black pair of gleaming eyes stared up at him, waiting. “Coffee. That’s exactly what I need but I hate coffee. Oh--hey there, Vicchan.” 

Quickly, Yuri bent down and scooped up his miniature poodle from under the desk as soon as he realized the little creature was hiding under it. Said poodle whined and wriggled in Yuri’s arms happily, tongue slobbering all over the ambassador’s tired face. Yuri whined back at him, expression souring in jest. 

“Covered in poodle slobber. Fitting.” 

Vicchan, being a dog, didn’t understand the joking humor and merely continued to lick Yuri’s face until he was satisfied with his owner’s disheveled appearance. Yuri sighed and set him down before wiping his face on the sleeve of his button-up. Then, with great reluctance, he began sorting through his emails in order of importance. Thus, Yuri immediately opened the email titled “Work Conference: Discussion on Russia” from his agency picked apart the most enticing details first before reading it over again. It would have been a massive understatement to say that Yuri was surprised when his superiors made note of Russia’s absence from the Nuclear Security Summit. 

_Mr. Katsuki,_

_Our office is glad to hear of your hard work at the Nuclear Security Summit through the weekend. You have represented Japan just as expected and we are proud to have you with us. Tomorrow at two o’clock, there will be a conference held in the meeting room for ambassadors regarding Russia’s absence from the summit. There is reasonable concern that Russia’s absence proves their reluctance to work alongside us as well as the rest of the coalition. In accordance with their absence, the Russian government has already responded that they are on the side of peace and are willing to work with us, but we can never be too sure. That country has an extensive history of saying the opposite of what it’s doing so it would be practical to keep an ambassador in St. Petersburg. Japan is considering a possible embassy request for one ambassador to stay in Russia for an unspecified amount of time. This is an excellent opportunity as a new representative of Japan to work with the Russian government, and you have already shown exceptional qualities of leadership. Please consider accepting this request should it become a viable option._

_Sincerely,_

_The Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs_

The words sounded strange coming off his tongue. The words sounded strange echoing in his mind. They already wanted him to attend a meeting over Russia? Of all the countries he could stay in for the sake of Japan’s diplomacy and public policy outreach, they wanted him to stay in Russia for however long without considering his lack of experience with policy meetings and conferences? The thought of possibly meeting the Kremlin made the Japanese man shudder with deep-rooted fear as he knew very well that there were still tensions between his country and Russia over a dispute on island ownership from World War II. Yuri shut his laptop and spun halfway around in his chair to stare at the bed that was calling out to him so sweetly.

It would be simple enough: he would go to bed, sleep for however many hours he could before getting ready to go into the office, and then exaggerate his lack of experience to the ministry to the effect of him being able to stay in Japan to continue his busywork. Simple, easy, and most certainly practical. At least, it was practical in Yuri’s mind. There was simply no way that he could just show up in Russia and preach Japan’s objectives to the Russian government without making a total fool of himself, and that was the last thing Yuri wanted to do as a servant of the Japanese government. It was his duty to represent Japan and he couldn’t afford to mess it all up over inexperience. Surely the ministry would understand his concern once he brought it up at the conference tomorrow and agree that it was too early for a new ambassador to be making such political moves. 

_Leave it to Japan to put tremendous pressure on its government workers. As if middle schoolers with the capacity to do calculus aren’t enough._

Yuri hastily responded to the email with a quick affirmation of his attendance, shut his laptop once more, and then began to strip bare for a much-needed affair with his bed. The affair was interrupted early on when his poodle shuffled under the covers by Yuri’s feet and turned it into a threesome and Yuri doubted he would get much sleep at all.

Only one word was going through his mind at that moment. 

_Fuck._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, so I lied about when I was going to update chapters. I've found out that with my busy college schedule, trying to update on a particular day isn't very practical, especially since I have very long labs. Expect updates roughly one week apart, maybe two if I'm particularly busy. 
> 
> As for this chapter... what can I really say about it? This story is a long, slow burning story of government sabotage, conspiracy, romance, ect... so this chapter is really more of an introduction to how the story will be written as well as the framework for the later plot. (I should also note that as an introductory chapter, the length of this chapter is not typical of what I write; I tend to write very long chapters, so keep that in mind if that's what you like.) I realize it's a slow one to get into, but bear with me; it does get much more intense very quickly. The amount of research I put into this chapter alone was insane, but I believe it's necessary to write an accurate depiction of what I want, thus all of the political/historical details are necessary to me. This is definitely a story for those who enjoy reading about history and government or have a general appreciation for complex works. Or maybe you're just choosing to suffer through the story for the smut that's going to happen? I don't know. I mean, I _will_ be writing kinky sex so this fic isn't all work. 
> 
> Let me know what you think in the comments and I'll do my best to reply to them individually. And don't fret: Viktor Nikiforov is coming. 
> 
> Yes, I made a Game of Thrones reference. Maybe that's important to note? :)

**Author's Note:**

> You thought you were getting a chapter and instead you received a prologue. Lmao. (I'm actually an asshole. Sorry.)
> 
> I'll keep this short and sweet: I have most of my chapters roughly outlined as of current and am expecting to update weekly, as time allows, on Wednesdays. Please keep in mind that I'm in college and I get incredibly busy without warning. Also, I apologize for my writing. My existence as a science major has all but killed my creative writing skills but I'm hoping to slowly recover them as the fic progresses. 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed the short prologue. Stayed tuned in for next week's first official chapter.


End file.
